


Strictly Professional

by Kainorian



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Doctor AU, Doctor!Jinora AU, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family, Firefighter!Bolin AU, Firefighter!Korra AU, Friendship, Love/Hate, Romance, Slow Burn, emotional breakdown
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9268286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kainorian/pseuds/Kainorian
Summary: After a motorcycle accident, Kai Fong gets delivered to a hospital where he meets Jinora Gyatso. However, with his arrival, things take an unexpected turn. With her world seemingly thrown off balance, Jinora finds herself struggling with her decisions in life and the consequences coming with them. Meanwhile, Kai, who's attempting to win her attention, is caught in the crossfire of things and has to deal with his own issues.





	1. Collision

Hospitals. Kai had never been fond of them. Not that he would complain. He was kind of dependent on the people working here after all, but there was just something about being imprisoned in a tedious room with beeping machines while being forced to lie in an uncomfortable bed with cables attached to your whole body that wasn't very soothing. Well, in his case, cables would have been way more practical than all the casts and the brace he had to wear around his neck. But hey, you had to take what you were given, not that he had another option, really.

He had been lying there for about two hours if he wasn't mistaken, waiting for the doctor and as luck would have it, the guy didn't show up. He'd tried to make his way out of the bed, but the attempt didn't last long. As soon as he would do something more than move his head, a sharp pain would course through his body, leaving him ultimately no choice but to lie down and wait. If he couldn't find a way to get back on his feet, he'd turn into marble soon.

It gave him time to take a look around the room he was being held in. Well, not that he was able to really look at it, only as much as the brace would allow. He knew there was a button next to his bed that he could press to call a nurse, but unfortunately the casts rendered his hands useless and they were itching like hell, basically making it impossible for him to hold the device in his hands.

But seeing that no one would come anytime soon, the button was his only chance to call someone. He knew, of course, that they wouldn't release him and that he was nowhere close to leave this place in his current state, but what else was there to do?

When he was about to give it another try, the door opened and in walked a woman he had never seen. Out of all the people that could have walked into this room, he hadn't expected a woman and certainly not a pretty one as well. Although his eyesight was a bit blurry, he could still make out her soft features. These included nice brown eyes and long brown hair, tied up neatly in a ponytail.

She was wearing a white lab coat that looked like it was a little too big due to her rather slender figure. Beneath it, she was wearing light blue scrubs with a V-neck, which didn't offer much insight to Kai's slight disappointment. In spite of all this, she was cute, so he decided to go for it. 

He flashed her a cocky smile, but she didn't seem to notice or care. Instead, she went to the front of his bed and took his medical chart that was attached to it. He watched as she was quickly reading through the lines, which gave him the opportunity to look at her name tag.

Jinora Gyatso.

It had a nice sound to it, he figured.

"Mr. Fong."

\- "That'd be me," Kai perked up, but because of all his casts, he couldn't really look at her, other than turning his neck, which hurt like hell.

Still looking at the chart in her hands, she listed, "Motorcycle accident, resulting in a broken arm, leg, two ribs, wrist, and a light concussion.”

She looked up and met his gaze for the first time since she had entered the room. “You really thought it was necessary to ride that thing while there is snow out?"

Kai smiled. “Well, funny story.”

At that, Jinora raised a brow. “You call riding a killer-vehicle on snowy and wet ground at full speed and slamming head-on into a car funny?”

\- “The feeling you get is to die for,“ he smirked.

 _Just great._ Right then and there, Jinora cursed whoever had assigned her to this man who didn't even seem to know what he got himself into. She had to admit that it's a miracle that he got out so lucky. On the other hand, his case was one of the easier ones which meant that she had been able to lean back a little during surgery and take some time off from the ever so exhausting procedures, but here she was. If she had actually known how much of a dick he was, she might have loosened up even a bit more during surgery. Just a little bit.

She tried her best to keep her composure. Usually, she could keep it in check just fine, but something about this guy, she didn't know what exactly, was putting her awfully on edge. She wouldn't let him get the better out of her, not from a guy that presumably wasn't able to tell the difference between a camel and a dromedary.

Letting his remark slide away, she said, “You will need to stay here for a few weeks, depending on your body's progress, in order to recover. After the injuries have healed on their own, you'll be prescribed a physiotherapy that will help you fix your dislodged neck.”

She paused.

“ Any questions?” she asked, shooting him an uninterested look.

\- “Actually, yes,” he answered, smirking. “Wanna go out some time?”

_Out? Yes. With you? Hell no._

Jinora snorted. That guy sure had nerves. There was no way she'd date him in a million years. If there was one thing she hated, it were idiots and quite frankly, he was being one right now.

She narrowed her eyes. “I don't think that you are in a position to ask me out, given your current state, and the fact that I am your attending and you my patient. Besides, I'd need a pretty good reason to go out with the likes of you.”

Kai smirked.

“ You mean besides these abs?”

Of course, that wasn't really convincing, earning him an annoyed look.

_Well, it was worth a try._

Not that he was bothered. Shrugging, he said, “And since we are going to see each other pretty much every day, you might as well give it a try.”

 _Not if I can change that_ , she bitterly thought. Though, she had to hand it to him; he _was_ kind of handsome, aside from the scratches and casts which weren't really playing to his advantage, but that wasn't the point here.

“ Look, I'm not here to get romantically involved with you. I've got a job to do, mainly getting you back on your feet“, she said, crossing her arms.

\- “You know, a nice dinner would help me just fine with recovering,” he grinned.

Jinora, however, wasn't having it. “I doubt that. Anyway, it's not going to happen and if I say so, I mean it. The only thing you should focus on right now is to lean back and not overwork yourself.”

She gave him one last look to make sure if he was actually listening. She'd met this sort of guy enough times to know that there was a pretty big chance that he wasn't paying attention to her words at all and by the looks of it, she was proven right.

Raising a single eyebrow, she asked, “Got it?”

Truth be told, she couldn't care less. She had done her job which was enough as of right now, but since she was his attending after all, it was her responsibility to keep him in check which meant to give him the heads-up on the do's and don'ts. It already looked like bitter work was before her. Needless to say, she didn't need this, but someone had to make sure he was alive.

Luckily for her, he nodded.

“ Good.”

With that, she placed the clipboard back to its place and left the room, leaving a smirking Kai back in his room.

 

“ So tell me, what's the problem again?” Opal asked.

Shortly after her shift had ended, Jinora got a call from the Beifong woman, inviting her to lunch to which she had happily complied, eager to get some spare time with her friend. Due to the new influx of interns and fellows, their schedule had gone through a massive change, most notably narrowing their open time slots, making it nearly impossible for them to find an ideal time to meet up. Fortunately, Opal's surgery ended a little earlier and Jinora's next shift miraculously got canceled. So she happened to be free by the time Opal called, and next thing she knew, they were sitting in the cafeteria and talking about their life lately.

She and Opal had already known each other before Jinora started to work at the hospital, thanks to their family's close relationship. You could say that they were kind of related since Opal's formerly-estranged half-aunt happened to have been the girlfriend of Jinora's father back then, but their relationship hadn't lasted long, which Jinora was grateful for. She just couldn't imagine her father and the tough Beifong being an item.

Although their families didn't see each other very often, Opal and Jinora always had a natural relationship, which only got stronger during their time at the hospital. For the latter it was refreshing to have someone beside her that she could tell about her problems without having to fear a lack of conception. Both had a lot of mutual interests and shared the same opinion in some cases and happened to grow up in a big environment, having annoying siblings and all, which resulted in their close bond eventually.

Jinora sighed. “He's annoying, Opal. He's acting like he can own me.”

However, the Beifong didn't seem too concerned with that.  “ But you said he's quite handsome, right? Honestly, I don't see why that should be a problem. You know, if I got a hot patient like yours that's trying to cozy up to me, I'd go the extra mile.”

Of course, that wasn't the answer Jinora wanted to hear. It did have her wondering, though.  “ Wait, don't you have a boyfriend?”

Opal smiled. “Oh, I do. Don't get me wrong, I love him to pieces, but I'm just saying that you should take what you get,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Jinora looked down on her salad and played around with it, as if trying to poke an answer out of it, but to her disappointment, the salad remained still.

“ I don't know, Ope. It's just … I'm not ready for a relationship just yet. I have a full-time job and responsibilities. I can't neglect those. Besides, you know I'm not into jocks,” she took a bite of her salad.

Opal rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Jin. You need to take some time off. Seriously, why are you getting the hot patients, anyway? If anything, _I_ should be the one being surrounded by young and sexy men.”

“ All of my patients are grumpy crumbled ancients,” she muttered. The thought of it alone was enough for her expression to change from happy to dark in a matter of seconds.

Sighing, she added, “I really should have chosen another field. I heard you get a lot of handsome guys in neuro.” Opal cracked a smile.

Jinora let out a morbid chuckle. “I'd be willing to switch with you if it meant I get away from my patient.”

At that, the older woman smiled. “Hey, just give it some time. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you make it out to be. Who knows, maybe he's the Prince Charming you've been waiting for all your life and you just don't know it yet.”

Jinora smiled. “Maybe.”

She wasn't really counting on that, though. So far, she got a pretty good first impression of him, which was anything but pleasant. He wasn't really Prince Charming, more like Gaston. And yes, she did kind of feel sorry for comparing those two with each other.

_Charming and handsome, but an arrogant prick at the same time._

Basically, all her senses were screaming that he was bad news and that she should keep her distance, but maybe, just maybe, there was a slim chance that her Gaston would turn into the beautiful Beast.

 

Kai kind of started to regret that he didn't ask for an ointment of sort, because, _boy,_ were his hands itching. Of course, that was his own fault, so the only one to blame here was himself, since he had been too distracted by the pretty attending. _His_ attending.

_Maybe hospitals weren't so bad after al_ _l._

He knew he was being an ass, but once he'd seen her, it was clear that she wouldn't fall for his looks, so he had to resort to something else. Not that his other approach went well, but could you blame a guy for trying?

He did have a great record with women, after all, and if he was being honest, getting into that accident and into the hospital afterwards was the best thing that happened to him in the course of the last couple of days.

Still, didn't mean he wanted to stay here longer than necessary. At least he would be spending half of his time with the lovely attending. He didn't really have an idea what he'd do with her exactly, though. She was hot, there was no denying it, cute ( _those eyes_ ) and smart – a _total_ smart-ass as it turned out. Not, that there was anything wrong with that. If anything, it made her even more sexy.

Even more so, that she was playing hard to get. It's not the first time he'd have to deal with a woman like her, but he'd figure something out.

After all, he would have plenty of time.


	2. A Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rather uneventful and annoying day at the hospital, Jinora decides to pay her parents a visit for dinner, as well as to see her beloved big sister again. As happy as she is to be with her family again, things suddenly take on another tone, leaving the young surgeon with questions.

After their 'together-time', as Opal liked to call it, Jinora decided to make herself useful by checking the scheduling board, trying to find a free slot in a surgery. She'd hoped to get paged during lunch like usual, but when she checked her pager, she was slightly disappointed to see that she had no calls.  
  
It had her a little surprised because she was used to being called a couple of times throughout the day, which spoke for itself. The hospital had been short on employees for some time now, especially surgeons, and since she was one of the few qualified people here, they'd turn to her for help.  
  
However, her search for an open spot ended up unsuccessful, but looking at the board she realized a couple of things: one, all spots were taken, and two, only one third of the board was filled with schedules. Neither occurred very often, and this was just the second time she discovered this being the case.  
  
The hospital did have a reputation as one of the best hospitals in the region and even as the best one in the whole country, which was partially due to the remarkable staff, but even more because of the circumstance that the local area had to deal with a bunch of emergencies all the time. Naturally, that led to a higher number of patients, making more work, but also all the more exciting.  
  
The influx of casualties never ceased, which was why, when she was at work most of the time, she was stuck in surgeries all day long. Sometimes they lasted longer than usual, eventually expanding into the night even. So to find that seemingly all surgeries were covered was more than surprising for her.  
  
“I was just as surprised as you.”  
  
Jinora turned her head away from the board to the person the voice belonged to. Only a few meters in front of her she saw the painfully familiar figure of Lian Sheng, surgeon and an orthopedist just like her. He was one of the few people she actually had to make contact with, since he happened to be in most of the surgeries she was in. Should be said, they never got along well with each other, mostly because Jinora couldn't stand him, making the minor but important fact that he was the Chief of Orthopedics, AKA her supervisor, all the more painful.  
  
Jinora crossed her arms. “Don't you have somewhere else to be?”  
  
She was aware that she was being awfully bold here and implicitly insulting her boss, but she couldn't help it. Her reasoning, he was an ass, so he deserved it. Not really appropriate, she knew, but ever since she started working here, the guy constantly tried to woo her, always keeping on to pester her at every opportunity he would get. She did try to report him, but without success. So she tried to keep things professional, despite the growing annoyance, and instead to focus on the work in front of her. At least she had enough manners to do so, unlike her colleague.  
  
Ignoring the message, Lian said, “I could ask you the same, but as you see, there's nothing to do for me right now.”  
  
He was standing next to her right now. Jinora was trying her best to suppress the urge to back away.  
  
She turned to the board. “I'm sure there is. After all, you'd have to be pretty busy as the Chief of Ortho.”  
  
The envious tone in her voice didn't go by unnoticed. Raising a brow, he replied “Contrary to popular belief, it's not a very hard job, but it seems like you have a high opinion of it.”  
  
She'd never admit it, but yes, she _was_ jealous. Mainly because she had problems contemplating why it had to be him out of all the people who got the spot. As far as she knew, there were a lot of other people who were just as qualified for the job as him, or even more so. She wouldn't deny that he was a good surgeon, in fact, a damningly good one at that, but his attitude was everything but professional, acting however he pleased to. The only reason why he got the job was due to his good reputation and because he was the Chief's pet.  
  
Everyone seemed to adore him, and Jinora hadn’t got the slightest clue why. Everyone _but_ her. In secret, she wanted that job and she knew she was more than qualified to do it. Yet, the universe had granted her an asshole who got it instead.  
  
 _And another asshole that is my patient._  
  
Needless to say, she wasn't very delighted at the prospect.  
  
Another thing that pissed her off about him, - there were a couple of things -, was the fact that he was an asshole on another note. This one being that basically half of the female staff, save for the elderly ones with a few exceptions, were fawning over him like he was some sort of celebrity. She seemed the only one to be immune against it, _hell_ , even Opal would crush over him from time to time. There was no point denying it and as much as she hated to admit, he _was_ good looking. Tall, slightly built frame, short black hair, striking light blue-grayish eyes and a chilling deep voice. The perfect womanizer.  
  
More than ever, Jinora wanted to slap him right now. If he wouldn't be such an idiot, she might have considered giving him a chance – just _might_ –, but that was obviously out of the question.  
  
Luckily for him, she refrained from doing so. “Well,” she started, “contrary to what _you_ might think, it _is_ in fact a job that takes more than giving some orders and walking around with the 'I'm the Chief' - badge.” She actually looked at him this time so she could watch his reaction. He looked back at her and raised a brow. (He did that a lot, by the way. She didn't know why, but had come to the conclusion that it wasn't a disorder or something.)  
  
“I don't think there's a badge for that.”  
  
Jinora had to resist from mentally slapping herself. _Seriously, why_ him _out of all people?_  
  
Not that he lacked intelligence, but sometimes his oblivion could be annoying as hell, like right now.  
  
She rolled her eyes. “There is none. It was a metaphor, which you obviously failed to get.”  
  
With that, she averted her gaze and turned to leave. She didn't know where she would go to, but as long as she was far away from him, anywhere would be good.  
  
Before she could take another step, however, she was stopped.  
  
“Do you really think you can pretend playing this game forever?”  
  
 _Just keep on walking.._  
  
She really wasn't in the mood for this conversation right now. So she did just that, and kept her eyes focused on the floor before her and ignored him.  
  


* * *

  
If Kai was annoyed, he didn't show it. He had been repeatedly pressing the call-button for the last five minutes, but of course, no one came.  
  
 _Tell me about a déjà vu._  
  
It seemed like he would need to get used to this. Good thing he wasn't in any danger because then he'd be in serious trouble. But still. It did leave him wondering about his attending's whereabouts. She seemed to have the required competence, there was no doubt, but why wasn't she showing up or anyone else for that matter?  
  
Suddenly, the door burst open and he saw her storming into the room, noticing the alarmed expression on her face.  
  
She approached his bed, and it was then that he realized that she was slightly panting.  
  
 _Wow._  
  
Usually, he would have enjoyed a view like this, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do so now. Mostly because it just felt wrong. He _was_ a guy with certain preferences, but he also had manners.  
  
Despite trying to catch her breath, Jinora managed to speak. “What happened?”  
  
Kai kind of felt bad now. He hadn't really expected her to react so.. concerned. Was that the right word? Maybe 'agitated' was better. He didn't know, but what he did know, and which also surprised him, was that she seemed to care. After their rather heated encounter yesterday, he didn't think that she'd put much effort into checking on him.  
  
Well, seemed like he was wrong.  
  
A sheepish smile spread on his face. “Hey. Umm.. I was kind of hoping you'd give me the WiFi password, 'cause I'd really need to check my mails and stuff.”  
  
The expression on her face was... interesting, to say the least. What was first an alarmed face, soon turned into an angry one. It was actually kind of funny, if it weren't for the fact that he was completely exposed to the reprimand that followed.  
  
“You _what_?!” she cried out.  
  
Yeah, he was screwed.  
  
To say that she was angry was an understatement. Jinora wanted to choke him so badly right now. Shortly after she had parted from Lian, she got the calls from her pager. She'd already been in a bad mood because of Lian and seeing the source of the calls wasn't really soothing her state. If anything, it made it worse.  
  
Jinora didn't think that she could get any more mad, but she was practically _fuming_ now. What was it with people wanting to screw her all over? The only thing she wanted right now was to let out all her anger, not caring that the guy in front of her would be on the receiving ends of it.  
  
Kai braced himself for the worst. _Please let it be quick._  
  
Taking a deep breath, Jinora finally spoke.  
  
“Let me make this clear: you called me, let me believe that you were in a life-threatening situation, scaring me to my bones, because. You. Want. The. Fucking. Wi-Fi. Password?”  
  
Kai winced. He nodded weakly, but remained silent, which was probably for the better, given her current mood. She wasn't really shouting or anything, but the dangerous tone in her cool voice was more than enough to give him the chills, and he had no intention of completely suffering in her wrath.  
  
Jinora could feel her eye twitch.  
  
 _Calm down. Calm. Down. He's not worth it._  
  
Slowly, she breathed in and out, counting until ten. At moments like this, she was grateful for the meditation sessions her father used to complete with her.  
  
Once she was sure that she calmed down, she opened her eyes again and continued.  
  
“Electronic devices are not allowed because they can interfere with the medical equipment.” She paused.  
  
Kai didn't know if she was done already, but decided not to push his luck. He waited for her to go on and continue the path of her wrath. A few minutes passed in which both were just staring at each other; one with a blank expression, the other silently cowering in fear.  
  
Finally, Jinora broke the uncomfortable silence and cleared her throat.  
  
“Just don't call me again, unless you're actually about to die, okay?”  
  
She gave him one last look, not waiting for a reply, and made her way to the door.  
  
“Wait.”  
  
Stopping in her tracks, she turned around to look at him again. Kai took this as a sign to go on. “I'm sorry.”  
  
He saw the mild surprise on her face, knowing that he had her attention now, and continued. “I didn't mean to be an inconvenience for you or anything... I'm sorry. Just thought you should know.”  
  
He knew that it wasn't a top-notch apology, but he didn't have a medal in apologizing, so that should do. At least, he hoped so.  
  
Jinora couldn't help it, but she suddenly felt sorry for him. He did sound genuine and she knew that she shouldn't have snapped at him like that. Only because she was having a bad time didn't mean that others needed to take the brunt of it.  
  
She sighed. “It isn't your fault. Well, not entirely anyway. Look, I.. had a bad day so far and I'm sorry for taking it out on you.”  
  
Kai smiled. “Nah, it's okay. I'm used to it.” He paused briefly. “Though, there's something that's seriously been bugging me,” he added, holding up his hands. “They're itching like hell for two days now. Isn't there a creme or anything? It's killing me.”  
  
Now it was her turn to smile. “There is. If you ask politely, I might be kind enough to get it for you.”  
  
This was met with a groan. “ _Seriously?!_ ”  
  
She was already standing at the door, her hand on the handle, looking at him smugly. She knew that the stinging feeling could be torture sometimes, but she enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing him so helpless. Not that she was a vindictive or very sadistic person, but there had to come out at least something good of this day, and it still didn't change the fact that he was an idiot.  
  
Needless to say, it was fun. Besides, _sweet sweet revenge_.  
  
Eventually, Kai gave up. “Okay, you win. Happy now?”  
  
Jinora smirked. “Yeah, pretty much.”  
  
With that, she really went out of the door this time. Despite their fallout, Kai couldn't help but thinking:  
  
 _Hopefully she won't take long again.._

* * *

The rest of the day went by smoothly, to Jinora's relief. Well, as smoothly as it was possible when you were working at a hospital, anyway. After all, you never could know what to expect, but Jinora couldn't bring herself to think about it right now. Instead, she tried to think happy thoughts. Good thing it was Friday and she didn't have to pull weekend-shifts, which could change quickly at any time, but she shoved the thought away into the furthest corner of her mind.  
  
 _Which means no Kai or Lian. Thank God for that._  
  
She was happy to have some time for herself again, something that she always missed during work and never had the opportunity to because of all her duties and whatnot. Fortunately, her apartment wasn't that far off from the hospital, providing for a short walk.

* * *

  
As Jinora unlocked the door to her apartment, that old phrase came to mind: home sweet home.  
  
The apartment was simple, neither very big nor really fancy. It had a living room with a sofa and a TV, which she rarely turned on, a kitchen with the necessary utensils, a bathroom, and a bedroom. It was humble, but she wasn't asking for more, really. It had everything she needed. She'd been living here ever since she moved out from her parents' house. Not far from her work place or the city, including her parents. It was the perfect place in Jinora's opinion.  
  
Taking off her jacket and putting down her purse, she reached for it and took out her phone. She quickly unlocked it and saw that she had two messages from her mom.  
  
 _Mom: Hey sweetie, your father and I wanted to know if you'd have time to come over for dinner tonight. Please call me back :)_  
  
 _Mom: Btw, Korra will come too._  
  
This put a smile on her face. It had been a while since she'd seen Korra. Because both of them had jobs with a tight schedule, neither had been really able to meet up. Being a surgeon meant that she had her hands full all the time, with today being the exception. Besides, whenever she tried to call Korra, she either happened to have no time or to have other plans, and when she was visiting her parents, Jinora was the one to be stuck in work.  
  
With practiced fingers, she dialed the number of her mom which was soon followed by the usual calling – signal.  
  
After the second beep, she heard the familiar voice of her mother on the other end.  
  
“Hello honey, how are you doing?”  
  
Jinora couldn't help but smile. Korra wasn't the only one she hadn't seen in a long time.  
  
“Hey Mom, I'm fine. Just got home and saw your message. So, about dinner. Korra's coming too?”  
  
She could hear Pema chuckle. “Yes, she is. She was actually the one to bring it up. Her boss had given her the rest of the day off, so she called us and suggested that we'd have dinner together. She asked for you and said she misses you.”  
  
\- “I miss her too. All of you. It's been too long since we've last seen each other,” she replied. Heck, she wanted to see her siblings again too and that was speaking for itself.  
  
Pema let out a soft sigh. “Yes, it has been. Your siblings started to miss you too, even Meelo.”  
  
At that, both chuckled. It was kind of hard to believe that her rambunctious little brother actually missed her. Even weirder, that _she_ missed him. Due to their clashing personalities, their relationship wasn't really the best; he was wild and had a high temper, she was more reserved and cool-headed.  
  
Considering that he usually didn't show a lot of affection to come off as 'manly' or simply acted like he wouldn't care, hearing that he looked forward to seeing her as much as she did had her somewhat stunned. Though, a little part of her was also glad, since it meant that things will be less awkward between them. At least _something_ she could handle today.  
  
“Anyway, when exactly is dinner?” She hoped that her voice wouldn't betray her because talking about dinner was kind of making her hungry now. She'd only stuck to salad during her lunch with Opal and, needless to say, she was regretting the decision.  
  
Pema smiled. “Korra said that she'd come around five. Your father and your siblings should be at home by then too, but you can head over a bit earlier of course. Thinking about it, I could use a hand.”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
It had been _years_ since she'd cooked with another person, plus she didn't really get around to doing it anymore these days. She'd actually enjoyed cooking with her mother as a kid. Another thing that she missed, and what's more, she especially missed the _food_. It'd be a lie if she'd say that she hadn't been upset about leaving the delicious food of her mom behind.  
  
A cooking-session would also give them the opportunity to catch up, as well as spare her the awkward situation with her arrival. And food.  
  
It was basically a win-win situation.  
  
She'd almost forgotten that Pema was still on the other end.  
  
“Great! Oh honey, I can't wait to see you again.”  
  
\- “Me too.”  
  
With that, the connection went off and Jinora found herself checking the time.  
  
 _Time for dinner._

* * *

  
Jinora was surprised to learn how much she really missed cooking. Due to her busy schedule, she'd been living mostly off of take-away Thai food and microwave ready-meals. Having her mother cooking with her was probably best for everyone involved, given that Jinora herself was a little out of practice.  
  
Of course, being her good-hearted mom, Pema had insisted on something special, so they went for Jinora's and Korra's favorite dishes; curry and seaweed noodles respectively with delicious fruit tarts for dessert.  
  
And before she knew it, all of them were sitting at the table.  
  
“This is amazing, Pema. Thank you,” Korra said, taking another bite from her noodles.  
  
Pema smiled. “I'm glad you like them. I know that they're your favorite, so I figured I'd make them for you.”  
  
“Mmm, they ar abbsholutely taschty,” Korra munched, grinning with her mouth full of noodles.  
  
Jinora couldn't help but smile at her dorky sister. Even though she hadn't seen the older woman for a long time, she was still her old self. Tenzin, however, didn't seem too pleased with this.  
  
Closing his eyes, he sighed. “I see you haven't changed one bit.”  
  
"I have!"  
  
At that, Tenzin raised an unconvinced eyebrow. Furrowing her brow, she thought hard. A few seconds passed while everyone was looking at her curiously.  
  
Not able to think of anything, Korra fell silent and quietly retreated to her food. “Damn..”  
  
Tenzin shook his head, whereas Pema chuckled next to him. Jinora, who was sitting opposite to Korra, mused about the latter's behavior. No, time certainly didn't have an effect on her. Although seven years were lying between the two, Jinora had always felt more like the adult while Korra would usually be the one to act childish. Apparently, this was still the case.  
  
Coming to Korra's rescue, Pema decided to change the topic.  
  
( _God bless this woman._ )  
  
“So, what have you been up to? You seem to be quite busy.” Once again, she looked at her with a warm smile on her face.  
  
Jinora looked up, also curious about what her sister had been up to all this time. The only thing she knew was basically that she worked as a firefighter, and that was something she learned from her mother, so not really a lot she could go on about.  
  
Korra scratched the back of her neck. “Oh, um, I've been working a lot lately. So.. yeah.”  
  
Jinora raised a brow. Now that was interesting. Ever since dinner had started, the older woman had been unusually quiet, rather sticking to eating and only spoke whenever she was addressed directly. Mostly it was Ikki she had to reply to, but even then she gave short answers. At first, she didn't think anything of it, but now.. The long absence, the rare visits and calls, the big amount of work, those 'plans' she'd be mentioning over phone, the new hair cut...  
  
And now that awkward reaction; the way her voice had sounded, how she averted her eyes as if to avoid eye contact, scratching her neck, which she always did when she was nervous or flustered, and the slight blush.. It wasn't often that Jinora saw her like that, but when she did it usually meant that-  
  
Wait.  
  
 _Oh. My. God._  
  
It was then that Jinora realized… “You have a girlfriend!” she burst out.  
  
Korra's eyes widened.  
  
Jinora smirked.  
  
 _Busted._  
  
Ikki's eyes lit up. “Wait, really?!”  
  
Surprisingly, her parents remained still. It wasn't a secret that Korra was bisexual, they all knew. In fact, her parents, and especially her father, who was more of a traditional, seemed to take it pretty well. Same case with her siblings; Ikki had been ecstatic, Meelo didn't seem to care and Rohan seemed to support her new-found sexuality. As for herself, she saw it coming a long time ago. Needless to say, she was full on board and standing behind her sister in this matter.  
  
If she recalled correctly, the last time Korra had dated someone had been roughly around the time she was attending med school, which had been a few years ago. For a reason Jinora didn't know, the relationship didn't last long and as far as she knew, Korra didn't have another love interest ever since.  
  
Until now.  
  
Tenzin cleared his throat. “Now, seeing that there is some truth to it,” he said, referring to the blush on Korra's cheeks which became only harder now, “I'd like to hear an explanation as well. After all, you owe us that much, considering your long absence.”  
  
“Well..,” she started, earning even more curious looks now. Meeting their gaze, Korra let out a small sigh.  
  
“Yes, I do have a girlfriend. I..” Knowing that wouldn't be enough to satisfy them, she continued. “I met her a couple of months ago. Her name..” Suddenly unsure, she paused and shot Tenzin a worried look.  
  
Picking up on it, he raised his eyebrow. “Yes?”  
  
She waited a bit before she answered, looking straight into his eyes.  
  
“Her name's Asami. Asami Sato.”  
  
Hearing her name, his eyes widened. Though, he kept them in check mostly, making his surprise only visible to cautious eyes; namely to Pema and Jinora, who followed the conversation with a confused expression.  
  
This was definitely something new she didn't know about and judging by their expression, there was more to it.  
  
Either her mom didn't notice, which was very unlikely, given the fact that she never missed things like this, or she simply tried to skip the peculiar atmosphere that had suddenly draped the room.  
  
Knowing her, probably the latter. Unlike her father, though, her façade didn't break and instead she kept her smile as usual, continuing the conversation as if nothing would have happened.  
  
“So, how did you two meet?”  
  
Once again grateful for the change of topic, Korra returned the smile.  
  
“Well, that's kind of a long story..”

* * *

  
“You doing all right?”  
  
Jinora turned around, meeting Korra halfway on the little space of the balcony. She used to retreat to here whenever her siblings would make her crazy or if she needed time for herself. Whether it was a good or a bad thing, she eventually ended up spending a lot of time up here, developing a certain connection to this place. The quiet – if you leave out the frequent traffic noises on weekdays – and open air always had a refreshing effect on her, so when she found out that her apartment didn't come with a balcony, she had been a little sad.  
  
Jinora smiled softly. “Yeah. How about you?”  
  
Korra shrugged. “Fine, I guess. Anyway, I figured that it could be lonely being out here all by yourself. Want some company?”  
  
She nodded before turning around, leaning onto the railing. Hearing footsteps, the other woman soon joined her, positioning herself by her side. Silence hung in the air, accompanied by a subtle breeze, with both of them overlooking the city. The view wasn't really breathtaking, just offering them glimpses of a few blocks, but what made it worth it were the little lights that were visible in the night sky.  
  
“I think I haven't really apologized for being gone so long.”  
  
Taking her eyes off of the view, Jinora looked at the blue-eyed woman who didn't break her gaze.  
  
“What are you talking about? You don't need to apologize for anything, Korra. You have a job that takes your full attention, and trust me, I know what it's like. I'm sure there's a good reason why you've been gone, I understand. It's no big deal.”  
  
\- “I just didn't want you to think that I'd... abandoned you or something.” She looked at her.  
  
 _Where'd that come from?_  
  
Korra must have noticed her change in demeanor, quickly adding “You know, because of med school. I never really got to congratulate you on your graduation and all. Congrats by the way.”  
  
Jinora smiled. “Thanks.”  
  
\- “I know it's already been six months since then, but.. just wanted to let you know I'm proud of you.” Korra smirked.  
  
“Speaking of congratulations, congrats to your new girlfriend,” Jinora replied, with a smirk of her own.  
  
Korra blushed, a sight she'd never get enough of because, let's be honest, it's so fucking adorable.  
  
Of course, Korra wouldn't be Korra if she didn't have some kind of comeback herself.  
  
“What about you? No plans of settling down yet?”  
  
Now it was her turn to blush. “N-no. I've been too busy with work and I don't really think I'm ready for a full-time relationship just yet.”  
  
\- “Friends with benefits then?”  
  
Again this was followed by a blush. Turning away, the surgeon replied, “I don't think so. That's... not my thing.”  
  
\- “So I thought too.”  
  
Jinora's eyes widened.  
  
Korra chuckled. “Relax, I'm kidding,” she said, holding up her hands for defense.  
  
Jinora let out a sigh of relief.  
  
“Sort of.”  
  
\- “Korra!”  
  
She smirked. “Sorry.”  
  
Jinora shook her head, however not able to hide her smile.  
  
 _At least she apologized.._  
  
\- “For not being sorry.”  
  
 _Guess not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter has found its way here! I'm kinda proud of this one because not only is it over 4k words, but I also wrote the entire thing in just two weeks, which is pretty good, I'd say. 
> 
> This was a bit surprising to me and I can't say when the third chapter will be ready, but I'll try my best to make it at an appropriate pace.
> 
> Thanks again to AA7 for the beta-reading and anyone who gives this a read. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Have a good one!


	3. A Dish Served Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the hospital, Jinora is once again at the end of her ropes. Completely fed up with Kai, she wants the Chief to re-assign her case. When things don't work out as hoped, Jinora sees herself forced to come to terms with her mischievous patient.

Making her way furiously through the floor of shuffling attendings, Jinora headed for the one person that could possibly get her out of this mess: the one who had brought her into it.

She was fortunate enough to be in the East Wing, which meant that the office was only a few corridors away. Making sure not to interrupt something important, she knocked on the door two times. Even though she was in a slight fury, she wouldn't put her job at risk by getting her butt handed to herself.

Not soon after, she heard a familiar voice. “Come in.”

_No turning back now._

Bracing herself, she entered.

The office wasn't really fancy.  It was a tad stylish but functional, which was the only thing that mattered;  there were  a few shelves with books and the like, as well as a few framed documents on the walls and a desk which was covered in various sheets of papers and files. Furthermore, there were also a telephone and a computer from which Raiko looked up.

Recognizing his visitor , he raised a questioning eyebrow. 

“Dr. Gyatso, how can I help you?” he asked, the surprise clear in his voice. 

It wasn't often that the surgeon visited him, unlike other attend ings, who were trying to wo o him into giving them the job of  C hief  ever since word got out he'd retire soon which meant that he needed to choose a successor. This typically resulted in a decrease of their  approval rat ing . There weren't a lot of people he respected, but he did respect the woman in front of him. Not only because of her reputation, but due to the fact that  she  always kept her cool in heated situations, which most usually failed to do, earning herself some  sort of  respect from him.

Meeting his gaze, Jinora spoke up. “I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm afraid that the following I'm going to tell you is urgent.”

This made him curious.  If one of  his best  people had come to him to tell something was urgent, something had to be up.

“Is that so?” he asked, adjusting his glasses. “Well, I suppose that I can trust you in this case. What is it?”

He wasn't in the least bit concerned with trusting her; after all, she was one of the best in her field and that at a fairly young age, plus she was one of the few people who knew what was on the line. On top of that, she was fairly focused on her work, making her an excellent candidate for the position of Chief in his eyes. So far, she was undoubtedly very high on his list of possible candidates. The fact that she happened to be the daughter of his predecessor also played a role, making the decision of giving the position to her only more natural.

C learing her throat,  Jinora said, “I have this patient,  his name is Kai Fong. I.. Well...” She paused.  It was only then that she noticed that she was completely unprepared for this. Maybe this had been a bad idea  after all . How was she going to tell the Chief to re-assign  her patient to someone else? She knew that Raiko would say no, but she had to try  anyway .

Looking at her impatiently, Raiko said “I don't have time all day, Dr. Gyatso. Spill it.”

Not that there was a reason for him to talk to her like that , but he had to keep  up  a reputation after all.  Even if he was going to step down soon, he wanted to hold his authority as long as possible. Besides, his curiosity was  beginning to gnaw a way at him. 

In a last attempt to gather her thoughts, Jinora briefly closed her eyes and took a breath.

_Here it goes._

“In all respect sir, I really don't mean to be displeasing, but I'm asking you to re-assign Mr. Fong to another attending.”

There it was. She had just passively admitted defeat towards her boss  in what seemed like her first  week with the patient. This was definitely one of her most embarrassing moments since the day she had started working in the hospital.

_Still, could be worse._

“That's it?”

Jinora blinked. “Um.. Yes.”

She looked back at him, trying to read his thoughts but to no avail. The old man's expression remained stone hard. Just like always. Not that she had really expected to break through his hard light gray eyes, but there was something about him that she couldn't quite place. She had known him for some time, him being her boss for almost a year now. Raiko had been very eager to take her in, believing that she could make a great addition to the hospital which proved to be right eventually - although she knew well that there was another reason why he had taken her in -, though their relationship, if you could call it that, had always been rather neutral. As long as the other wouldn't cross a line, they'd be fine, and Jinora really believed she'd just crossed it.

She knew that it wouldn't cost her the job, but Raiko was still the Chief after all and embarrassing herself like that in front of him wasn't really giving away a top-notch impression of herself.

However, much to her own surprise, he smirked.

Leaning back in his seat, he said, “So this is the reason why you came for? To tell me to re-assign your case to someone else only because you aren't able to take up with this one patient?”

Jinora bit her lip. Putting it like that was making it even worse. It wasn't a matter of ability but of desire, and she definitely had no desire for putting up with that guy.

“You and I both know that I never ask you for a favor and that I am proficient in what I'm doing. It's not about my lack of capability. This patient.. I don't know how to describe it, but it seems like he doesn't care about anything, and I don't see why I should waste my time with his antics when I could be saving more lives instead.”

He looked up. “I see, but do you really think you're the only one who has to deal with patients who aren't cooperative?”

“No, I don't think so,” the surgeon replied, seeing that he had a point. Though, there was still a hint of dismay in her voice.

Picking up on it, he continued. “I know that it may be hard, but I also know that you have the necessary ambition. If you want to prove yourself you need to show what you're capable of. I won't deny that this job is bound with challenges, but I don't need to tell you this since you're well aware of it.”

He paused. “Now, I don't know what this patient is to you or who he is, but you should have what it takes to pull through, that much I know.”

He knew he was backing her in a corner here, but there were only so many opportunities to put her up to the test. The hospital needed a Chief after all, and he had to know if she was actually able to replace him and take over the role. If it needed one patient to make her falter, she would need to do better.

He waited for a reply, though her face already indicated that there was nothing more to be said.

“Good. Since this is settled, you're dismissed.”

Nodding, the surgeon made her way out the door.

 

“Something tells me the talk with Raiko didn't go well,” Opal said as she moved. They were standing at the buffet section in the cafeteria, slowly moving forward since the queue was kind of longer than they had first thought.

Jinora grabbed a bowl of salad. “Well, he was as demanding as usual, but that was to be expected.”

“You sound like you expected something else, though,” the Beifong remarked, reaching out for a chicken salad.

She shrugged. “I kinda hoped he would..” Noticing that she actually had no idea of what she wanted to say, she simply added, “Help.”

At that, Opal raised a brow, clearly doubting the thought. “And you really thought he would?”

Jinora sighed. “I don't know. I've kind of been in a fury and didn't really think it through..”

Just as the older woman was about to answer, she was interrupted by a very annoying voice from behind.

“Could you _move_ please? You're slowing down the entire line.”

Opal shot him an annoyed look, but didn't say anything and moved forward.

Her friend chuckled. “I guess that the cafeteria is not a good place for discussing your personal life.”

“Some people just have no patience,” the Beifong smirked.

“Hey, I heard that!”

The women chuckled.

“Shut up, Wu!” Opal yelled back.

A few people behind them, Wu sighed. “Why does everyone hate me?”

Jinora smiled. “That was kinda rude, Ope. You probably just broke his heart.”

“Nah,” Opal shrugged. “I'd be able to fix it anyway.”

At that, the surgeon let out a morbid chuckle. “You're unbelievable, you know that?”

“Well, what can I say? It runs in the family,” she winked. “Speaking of, how'd the dinner go?”

Suddenly, Jinora's face lightened up. Though, Opal didn't know if it was because of the dinner or because of the strawberry-muffins that came into view.

Quickly grabbing one, Jinora answered “It was great, actually. At least, it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be.”

However, the woman raised a brow, not really satisfied with her answer. “But?”

_Of course she'd notice._

It wasn't difficult for her friend to see that despite her answer something was wrong. If it came to reading people, Opal was very good at it. Jinora didn't know if she should let her in on it, but she also knew that lying would be useless, so she settled for the truth.

Shrugging, she added “Well, there was this brief moment when Korra told Dad about her girlfriend.”

“Wait, Korra's got a new girlfriend?” Opal's eyes widened. “I can't believe Bolin didn't tell me! ... Anyway, what happened? You sound like that's a bad thing.”

“No, it's not, I guess,” she shook her head. “But once Korra said her name, something was off about the way Mom and Dad reacted. It's like they know her.”

“Maybe they do,” Opal said, taking two glasses of juice, and handed one over to her. “I mean, it wouldn't be _that_ strange. The world's a small place after all.”

Jinora, however, wasn't really pleased with that, but decided to let it slip. Maybe Opal was right, and she was reading too much into it. It wasn't her business anyway. She already had enough on her plate as it was, both figuratively and literally. She looked down on her plate, figuring that a salad, a strawberry-muffin and a glass of apple juice should be enough for now. It wasn't a lot, but her stomach was still full from yesterday's dinner. They finally reached the end of the line, which she took as opportunity to speak up again.

“Maybe you're right. Thanks, Opal.”

Opal smiled. “You're welcome.”

However, the older woman wasn't going to let her off the hook just yet. “So, wanna tell me what your fellow patient actually did that you went straight to Raiko?” Knowing that she would hit a nerve, she winked at her.

Jinora rolled her eyes. “You just had to, right?”

“Hey, it's not like you wouldn't have started another rant about him anyway.”

_True._

Smiling, the surgeon replied “I guess not.”

 

He looked up to see Jinora enter the room, a sight he was already used to by now. Nevertheless, Kai couldn't help but smile.

“How are you Kai?”

“Just had dinner. Food was better than I thought, considering it's 'hospital food'. You know, I'm a big sucker for eggs,” he smirked.

At that, Jinora shot him a look. Letting it pass without  a  comment, she took a look at the print in her hands  he hadn't noticed up until now.  “ Right, I have here the X-Ray of you leg,” she explained, holding it up to the light.

Pulling up a sour face, she said "Yes, that will definitely have to come off."

Kai could feel his face drain of all colors.

“W-wait. Wha-what do you mean? I don't like what I'm hearing. Not. At all.”

She slowly looked up, her face serious.

_Crap._

Before he could muster up the courage to ask about it, however, she suddenly began to _laugh_. He watched incredulously.

“What? Can't suck up a little joke?” she teased.

Kai gulped. _She's good._

“Not if it's about my physical state,” he shot back.

She shrugged. “Well, I had to make sure you're listening. Anyway, now that I know that I have your full attention-”

Feeling the need to interrupt her, he said “You don't just joke about someone's health. That was mean, even by your standards.”

She smiled a little. “Sorry, couldn't help myself. Besides, I felt like it. Especially after that pun you pulled.”

_And because I can._

Her patient, however, thought otherwise. “Well, doctors are supposed to keep their patients in good shape, and not patronize them. I don't know for how long you've been doing this, but I'm just a guy who happens to be in an unfortunate situation. So yeah, I wouldn't mind some consideration.”

Amused, she raised an eyebrow. “Says the one who deliberately drove on his bike during bad weather and got himself slammed into a car.”

“There. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Do you treat every patient this way?”

She smiled. “I do make exceptions from time to time.”

Slightly annoyed, he leaned back in his bed. Needless to say, he did not like this. After all, _he_ was supposed to be the one cracking jokes and all. Instead, he was being patronized by a woman who was making fun of him. Worst part being that he was powerless and had to endure it.

The surgeon didn't seem to care, however, and just continued. “Anyway, I've come to tell you the results of the X-Ray we took of your arms and legs. So far, it looks fine, which means you can start your neck therapy now.”

Well, at least it meant that he could finally get out of this goddamn bed. Yet, he remained silent, not entirely sure how to feel about it.

“You're granted permission to cheer.”

Silence.

This took her by surprise. _Wow,_ _I_ _actually made him stay silent._

She didn't really know if that was a good thing or not, but she was definitely enjoying the sight of him moping. It almost looked cute. Almost.

_Not going there._

Seeing that she wasn't being needed - or rather, not wanted - any longer, she said “Well, have a nice day.”

With that, she left him behind, feeling quite content with herself. Since her shift was coming to an end, she went to the locker room, where she pulled out her own clothes again. She was about to grab her purse when she noticed the blinking light that was coming from her phone inside, and reached out for it.

_Korra: Hey, I was wondering if you'd be free today. Wanna hang out? :)_

The surgeon smiled.

_Jinny: Count me in. When and where?_

**Author's Note:**

> Warning – Long sappy speech ahead
> 
> Here it is – my first official Kainora fic! I've been sitting at this one for quite a long time and I'm happy to finally share it with you guys. After all, I have to live up to my user name – Kainorian. I totally ship those two and I've read a lot of Kainora stories, of course I wanted to have my own take on one as well. So here you go!
> 
> I had this chapter ready for a little while, but waited with publishing to have some time for sorting everything out, which I did!
> 
> I don't know if there are other Kainora!Hospital AUs, so I'm sorry if this fic turns out to be similar to yours. (But don't hesitate to show me yours, so I can have a crack at it! :D)
> 
> Updates may be regular or not, but I think that they'll be more or less regular, since I've already planned out the whole story. Yay, means you don't have to wait long for a new chapter!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this fic as much as I do. (And yes, I know, Korrasami is in it again. I couldn't help myself, those two are too precious to leave out!)
> 
> And last but not least – shout-out to my buddy AvatarAang7 – aka Lord Awesome –, who provided me with the title for this fic and is kind enough to spend his valuable time with consulting me and beta-ing my work once again! I think I haven't told you how awesome you are enough times. Sending you big bear hugs!
> 
> With that said, I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope you will have a good time!
> 
> ~ Kainorian


End file.
